Not sure this bike is for beginers???

[audible]

I have riden everything from a home made scooter to a Harley Road King and this bike, while only a 600..............becomes an animal after 8000rpms. So, just a word to the wise...do not under rate this bike..................:rockon:

 

[DefyInertia]

Having fun yet?

Definitely not a good first bike IMO. Not the worst....but not good. Self-control, shmelf-control...and you can't respect something that does not respect you Not to mention, little bikes are a blast and teach you how to actually ride, not just point and shoot.

 

[SovietRobot]

This was my first bike and I learned everything on it.
That being said, I have had moments while learning where I felt it was too much of a bike. Now, it's perfect. Sure, more power would be fun, but whatever.

 

[Damnitsjeff]

This was my first bike and I learned everything on it.
That being said, I have had moments while learning where I felt it was too much of a bike. Now, it's perfect. Sure, more power would be fun, but whatever.

Ditto :thumbup:

 

[jmerch44]

it was my first bike and I got no complaints about it. if you make a mistake on it, you pay the price anyone pays for messing up. everything is based on your self control and willingness to learn.

 

[lonesoldier84]

had a few close calls cuz i couldnt handle the power as a noob but most of the time i kept a lid on it. survived and now its perfect.

its a bike you grow into.

but you do sacrifice riding skills for starting on it. it definitely 100% extends the learning curve because of the extra juice. it is an R6 engine after all, detuned or not.

 

[allaboutatv]

this was my first bike, and while it is fun, i wish it was a little faster!

 

[KingY]

This was not my first bike, but it is my current, my second! started on a 50cc and jumped straight on the fazer after a year it was restricted to 33bhp for 6 months to learn the bike, but now its an excellent bike to ride, wouldent have anything else plenty of power when ya hit the right rpm, and with the right rider, it can out ride some sports bikes! Would only reccomend as a first bike, if rider is responsible i found out the hard way :thumbup:

 

[DaveOTZ]

Not my first, but when I first got it it felt ginormous...

After my first taste of a gravely entrance to the HWY, having survived, I would say the bike became smaller, more manageable almost tiny. Then I read about making more use of the higher revs and its felt bigger again.

I think a beginner at the right age might be well suited for this bike... but its also the first thing I've ever bought that really makes me think before looking for something more.

While the first week was a bit scary I think the bike has a short learning curve... The reason I say this is just because there is so much information that comes back at you from the handlebars and the seat. The information that comes back, the more information you have to make adjustments with. When I slip on a turn I feel like I know about it a split second before it happens and I'm correcting as it happens. I just feel like the bike talks to me.

The CB was more forgiving and not as talkative I would miss turns not slowing down in time. My scooter (200cc) would lie about its acceleration. When the FZ moves it almost tells you "HOLD ON FXXXER :rockon:"

Sorry for rambling, its gonna rain today and my wife is taking a long weekend=no riding for a few days...

 

[mbramlett]

I agree that it's not the greates first bike. I paid the price when I seperated my collerbone from my shoulder blade. This bike is not a great first bike if you don't respect it. Keep it below 8K. Now when I hear that oh so sweet tone it makes at 8K I orgasm, and crap myself at the same time. At 8K this bike turns into a bull that wants nothing more than to throw you off at 8K rpm's. But below 8K it is very manageable.

 

[tmilheiser]

this is my first bike, absolutely no experience before hand. the first month or so was just taking it easy, back roads and neighborhoods, and now a year later i have over 13k mi on it and have scraped the metal sticks almost all the way off of the foot pegs in turns. i just don’t see the point of getting a bigger bike, this has PLENTY of power and is an easy ride from hwy to city. i ride with everthing from busas to kawi 650s and have never had a problem keeping up. its a great beginner bike if you can respect the fact that it will kill you if you try to take advantage of it, just like any other bike.

 

[ELIZABETH]

This IS my first bike, I had never been on one before my BRC class. I LOVE it. I am sure I could over ride my skills and hurt myself, but I am too old for that silliness! I am still learning, so I am cautious about everything, but I think it will serve me well as my first and last bike as well.

 

[Boneman]

this is my first bike, absolutely no experience before hand. the first month or so was just taking it easy, back roads and neighborhoods

+1

I can see that having the available power and the on/off clutch could be an issue for new riders. However, I had a healty respect for it, plus I took a full MSF course before ever going out for a ride on it.

Since I had never ridden anything before and had nothing to compare it too, you simply learn on what you have and don't really know any better/different.

I remember being "nervous" on it the first day and knew it was a lot to handle and needed respect.

I think it also helped that I was 32 yrs old. Maturity plays a lot into how some people handle themselves on bikes. If you are just going to jump on a bike, with no skills or riding knowledge and "think" you are going to do just fine, then those are the ones that usually get themselves into trouble.

As Def said, one has to have the ability for some self control and an honest understanding of one's own limitations and skill level or you could get yourself into trouble on a 50cc scooter!

 

[jtarkany]

This was my first bike and I learned everything on it.
That being said, I have had moments while learning where I felt it was too much of a bike. Now, it's perfect. Sure, more power would be fun, but whatever.

Ditto Soviet:thumbup: my first streetbike too.

I didn't start street riding until I was 40. I got most of my squirliness, showing off and crashes out of my system when I was younger, on dirt bikes.

I can see Defy and Audible's point though, for, let's say, less mature, first time riders, this can be a lot of bike.

A lot of the comments posted seem to be dead on, if you respect it and take your time learning it, this can be a great first bike. If you don't, then it's not, I guess it just boils down to the individual.

 

[chunkygoat]

this was the first bike i've owned myself. I've ridden others, but the first one I've purchased. I have no regrets. When I first started riding her, I thought she was too fast for my skill level.

Now that I have a little bit of experience under my belt, I feel like it was the perfect decision. It is such a versatile, comfortable, and yes sometimes powerful bike.

Its all in your mindset, ability to learn from your mistakes, and focusing on honing your skills.

Its not the bike, its the rider.

No regrets.

 

[AcesLA07]

This is my first bike ever as well. I don't even think I had sat on a motorcycle before my MSF class. But I knew this was the bike for me with the upright riding position but yet a street bike.

You do have to respect it tho as I found out the hard way sliding the bike into a cop car while I slid into the ditch. It did keep up with the gsxr1000 tho while it lasted haha!

I think it's a great first bike. Yes it has lots of power that I'm a little more hesitant to get on now after the wreck but it's a great bike to learn on.

 

[howettl]

After moving from the Ninja 500r up to this bike I was definitely glad that I developed my skills on the smaller bike. The FZ6 requires a lot more respect than the 500cc, which I just didn't have when I first started riding.

On the other hand, the nice thing about the FZ6 is that it is relatively tame when kept under 8000K. Its easy to stay in lower revs when riding through traffic and a less experienced rider (with a good amount of will power) shouldn't really have any trouble as long as they stay in this range.

 

[clunk]

I started here also and kept (keep) the revs down as I'm only in my second year. I dismissed the Ninja 250 talk since I didn't want to have to "trade up" after a short time. I think my biggest problem with this bike is not the speed, but the weight/size. The little Rebel from the MSF course seemed a lot friendlier at the onset than my FZ6.

When my buddy started thinking about riding, I actually steered him towards the Ninja that I had (too easily) dismissed. Luckily, the Ninja also fit his financial situation a bit better so he went that route. I helped him pick the bike up since he was not comfortable on the highway, and it was immediately clear why its the bike of choice for beginners. Within about a 1/2 a mile, I felt comfortable and easy on his bike. I will note however that it was all I could do to get it up to 90mph (with his permission) ...

Bottom line ... I'm happy with my choice, but often wonder how much I gave up by not riding a true "beginner's" bike during MY break-in period.

 

[mercm3]

The FZ6 wasmy first bike after the BRC MSF classes. Bike has embedded into my brain importance of throttle control and more importantly throttle self-control. It also took me close to a week (I only rode the bike about 30-45 mins at a time) to lose that nervous feeling everytime i sat on the bike. Looking back on that I believe that nervousness definately slowed my learning down. Also the clutch was a bitch to get used to after using those msf 250's bikes.

I agree 100% with Boneman if I was 20 and this was my first bike I would have been much more prone to putting myself in bad situations.

Being 36 and a father of 3 seems to have stemmed my wildside down quite a bit.

If i had a new buddy looking for a non 250 beginner bike I don't think I would recommend the FZ6 I would say a ninja500 or a SV650. But then again I'm talking out my A$$ about those bikes cuz I've never ridden on one(just sat on them)

Also being 5'6" with a 29" inseam didn't help the learning process at ALL!!!!

 

[Less]

Given the option I don't believe this is a good first bike. For me it is my third bike, but my first sport/street bike, the other two were cruisers. In my experience the cruisers were much more forgiving of a beginners faux pais.

The lower center of gravity helped with balance and low speed maneuvering and the lower seat height (for those of us inseam challenged) made getting the feet down to avoid the low speed drop that much easier. The more even application of power/speed kept you safer from uncontrolled acceleration and the less than race capable brakes pretty much assured you would not lock up the front or even the rear tires. And getting comfortable with the friction zone with a forgiving clutch is a benefit to the learning curve.

That being said, the Fazzer is much more fun than the cruisers to ride. I have much more faith in it's ability to hold a corner ( although I have a lot less faith in myself since I laid it down in a sand covered blind corner, but that's a function of my confidence not the bikes ability). It's a more comfortable ride for me as my tail bone doesn't take all my weight. I feel I am riding the Fazzer not going for a ride on the cruisers. And, it has the dual personality to be a friendly commuter/tourer at 5-6K rpm and a bit of a hooligan if you want or need to wind it up to 8K rpm.

But if asked, I would not recommend it for a beginner. Start smaller, lighter, lower and less powerful to get your feet wet. Then go out and get a Fazzer and up the ante.